The present invention relates generally to a bracket that attaches to a vertical post and, more specifically, to a railing spindle bracket and mounting method for suspending sundry articles from a railing spindle.
Railings are commonly functional features within home and office environments. For example, many homes include an outdoor deck area that includes a wooden railing surrounding the deck surface. The railing is configured to typically comprise a horizontal upper hand rail and a plurality of vertically oriented, spaced-apart wooden spindles extending between the handrail and the deck frame. The spindles provide structural support and isolate the deck area from surrounding environs. An informal standard has evolved within the industry whereby the spindles in outdoor decking applications have a two by two inch external dimension.
Similarly, railings may be present at multiple locations within the interior of a home or commercial establishment, typically as either part of a stairway banister or as a hallway railing. Common stairway and hallway railings likewise utilize spindles having the same standard two by two inch external dimension. An enlarged shoulder block is frequently employed at the base of each spindle and anchors a lower base end of each spindle to the stairway risers or sub-flooring.
Stairway, hallway, and deck railings perform a useful and necessary safety function in affording the user a handgrip, but heretofore no satisfactory means has existed for customizing or decorating such railings to reflect the tastes and preferences of the owner or occupant. Consequently, stairway, hallway, and deck railings offer a sterile and homogenized appearance that does little to add to the aesthetic appearance of a home or commercial establishment. A need, accordingly, exists for means by which stairway, hallway, and deck railings may be decorated in a customized manner. Moreover, a need exists for ways of utilizing the presence of stairway, hallway and deck railings beyond the primary function that each provides as a safety handgrip or enclosure. For example, it would be desirable to add decorative elements such as potted plants, photographs, statuary, etc. to railing areas.
In order to augment the utility and aesthetic appearance of stairway, hallway, and deck railings, shelf attachments have been proposed that connect to the vertical spindles of the railings. The shelf unit may optionally provide a surface for supporting decorative elements such as plants, pictures, etc., or serve to display or support utilitarian objects such as cup and dishware. Available shelf units may attach at alternative vertical positions along respective spindles to afford the user decorating and functional options.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,443,234 and 5,395,081 disclose state-of-the-art shelf attachment devices that mount to a vertical post such as a railway spindle at different elevations along the post. The ""234 patent teaches a shelf member disposed upon a pivotal support arm. Post-engaging brackets are adjusted by a threaded bolt to clamp against the vertical post and hold the unit in position. While functioning well, however, the ""234 shelf does not adequately address all needs of the end user. The shelf assembly is multi-piece, and requires hardware to achieve a tight clamp. Such structure adds to the overall cost of the shelf and makes the shelf cumbersome to attach and detach from a post. Moreover, the unit is aesthetically functional in appearance and detracts from the appearance of the articles supported thereby.
Additionally, the bracket of the ""234 patent is not economical to transport and cannot be conveniently mounted and removed from a post without a tool. An additional deficiency is that the clamp utilized to affix the bracket to a post can leave an undesirable mark on the post once removed. A further shortcoming is that the bracket shown in the ""234 reference provides a user with shelf but does not address or remedy possible needs of the end user for other article supporting structures.
The bracket taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,081 remedies one deficiency in the ""234 patent by providing a unitarily constructed bracket rather than a multi-piece configuration. The ""081 bracket is constructed of stamped metal and comprises a C-shaped opening that receives a support post. Teeth are provided that project into one side of the opening and engage the post. A shelf extends from an opposite side of the bracket and serves as a support for a potted plant or the like.
While functioning well, the ""081 bracket fails to satisfy all of the requirements of an end user. For example, the bracket is formed of stamped metal and affixes to a post by means of sharp teeth, which can leave unsightly marks within the post upon removal. Additionally, the bracket is formed by a relatively expensive stamping operation and does not readily provide a user with color options. Paint applied to surfaces of the bracket will tend to wear away in areas in which the bracket makes contact with the support post. Moreover, the ""081 bracket shelf has a downward bias when the bracket is suspended from a post and provides a less attractive appearance thereby. Finally, the bracket provides a user with a plant shelf but does not address or remedy possible needs of the end user for other article supporting structures and applications.
The present invention obviates the aforementioned deficiencies in state-of-the art vertical post-mounted brackets by providing a unitarily formed bracket of resilient plastic material. The bracket may be made in various colors by conventional plastic molding manufacturing methods and is economically and readily manufactured and transported. The bracket affixes to the base end of a vertical spindle in railways without the need for assembly hardware or tools. The user may optionally utilize a screw or other attachment device to move the bracket to alternative vertical locations on the spindle if so desired. The bracket is formed having an enclosed socket body configured to provide forward, lateral, and partial rearward sidewalls defining an internal socket body chamber. The rearward side of the socket body has opposed rearward sidewall portions partially enclosing an upper portion of the chamber and defining an elongate access channel therebetween communicating with the upper portion of the chamber. In a quiescent state, the access channel is sized smaller in width than a width dimension of a rail spindle. A lower portion of the socket body channel below the rearward sidewall portions is rearward open.
The lateral sidewalls of the socket body flex laterally to widen the access channel and allow admittance of a rail spindle into the socket body chamber. Upon release of the bracket, the lateral sidewalls of the bracket body flexibly return to an original configuration, narrowing the access channel and entrapping the rail spindle within the socket body chamber. The bracket may readily be removed by reversing the procedure and does not leave any unsightly mark upon the spindle once removed.
The present invention further envisions use of the subject bracket in multiple alternative configurations providing the end user with functional and aesthetic options. For example the bracket may be manufacture to provide a shelf surface extending outward from a forward side. Alternatively, other configurations of the bracket may be manufactured to provide a cup holder, a flag pole socket, a planter, or specialized sockets and compartments at a forward side, providing the user with decorating and utilitarian options in customizing railings.
A further aspect of the invention is to provide a method of mounting the bracket to a railing spindle, comprising the steps of positioning the socket body at an acute angle adjacent the railing spindle with a lower end of the socket body closest to the railing spindle; registering the rail spindle into the open lower portion of the socket body chamber; rotating an upper end of the socket body about its lower end and toward the rail spindle; applying a directional force to the rearward sidewall portions to flex the rearward sidewall portions outward and widen the access channel; passing the rail spindle through the widened access channel, and removing the applied force to allow the rearward sidewall portions to resume a normal configuration, whereby narrowing the access channel to a closed position.